Deuteronomy 1:32 kjv
Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,
Deuteronomy 1:32 nkjv
Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God,
Deuteronomy 1:32 niv
In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God,
Deuteronomy 1:32 esv
Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your God,
Deuteronomy 1:32 nlt
"But even after all he did, you refused to trust the LORD your God,
Deuteronomy 1 32 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Num 14:11 | "How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me..." | Direct divine complaint against Israel's unbelief. |
| Num 14:23 | "...none of those who despised me shall see it." | Consequence of unbelief: denial of promised land. |
| Heb 3:7-19 | "As the Holy Spirit says... Your fathers... put me to the test... So I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'" | Explicit NT parallel of Israel's wilderness unbelief. |
| Heb 4:11 | "Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience." | NT warning to Christians against similar unbelief/disobedience. |
| Ps 78:22 | "because they did not believe in God and did not trust in his saving power." | Another Psalms' account condemning Israel's unbelief. |
| Ps 106:24 | "Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise." | Corroborates their despising the land due to lack of faith. |
| Deut 1:29-31 | "Then I said to you, 'Do not be in dread or afraid... The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you..." | Moses' immediate reassurance contrasting with their subsequent unbelief. |
| Exod 14:13 | "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today..." | Contrasting example of God's immediate saving action met with initial trust. |
| Exod 17:7 | "...Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, 'Is the LORD among us or not?'" | Preceding instance of Israel's doubt and testing God. |
| Gen 15:6 | "And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness." | Contrasting example of Abraham's faith and its divine affirmation. |
| Rom 3:3-4 | "What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means!" | God's faithfulness remains steadfast despite human unbelief. |
| Jn 3:18 | "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already..." | NT emphasis on belief as essential for salvation/avoiding condemnation. |
| Mk 16:14 | "...he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen." | Jesus rebuking disciples for their unbelief. |
| Jas 1:6 | "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind." | Link between doubt, faith, and effective prayer. |
| Jas 2:19 | "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!" | Differentiating between intellectual assent and saving faith/trust. |
| 1 Jn 5:10 | "Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar..." | The severity of unbelief: making God a liar. |
| Lk 1:45 | "And blessed is she who has believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." | Mary's contrasting example of blessedness through belief. |
| Is 7:9 | "...If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all." | OT proverb emphasizing faith as foundational stability. |
| Jer 17:5-8 | "Cursed is the man who trusts in man... Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD..." | Trusting God vs. trusting human strength. |
| 1 Sam 15:23 | "For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry..." | Implied link between disobedience (unbelief) and rebellion against God's command. |
| Prv 3:5-6 | "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding..." | Call to complete trust in God over self-reliance. |
Deuteronomy 1 verses
Deuteronomy 1 32 Meaning
Deuteronomy 1:32 succinctly indicts Israel for their profound lack of faith and trust in the LORD their God, despite His continuous demonstrations of power, guidance, and provision. The verse highlights their unfaithfulness at a pivotal moment, questioning God's ability to fulfill His promises regarding entering the Promised Land. This unbelief was a failure to rely on His word and character, resulting in severe consequences.
Deuteronomy 1 32 Context
Deuteronomy chapter 1 serves as the opening of Moses' farewell addresses to the new generation of Israelites assembled on the plains of Moab, just before they enter the Promised Land. Moses recapitulates Israel's journey from Horeb (Mount Sinai) to Kadesh-Barnea, highlighting their rebellion and the consequences. Verse 32 specifically refers to the crisis at Kadesh-Barnea, described in Numbers 13-14. Despite God's mighty acts of deliverance from Egypt, His daily provision of manna, and His visible presence as a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, and Moses' direct assurances (Deut 1:29-31) that the LORD Himself would fight for them against the inhabitants of Canaan, the people, upon hearing the spies' fearful report, refused to go forward. Their decision stemmed from a profound lack of trust in God's power and faithfulness to defeat their enemies, instead fearing human adversaries and rejecting God's promise. This failure led to God condemning that entire generation (save Joshua and Caleb) to die in the wilderness.
Deuteronomy 1 32 Word analysis
- Yet (אַף, 'aph): This Hebrew particle, often translated as "even," "indeed," or "however," functions here as a strong emphatic conjunction. It conveys a sense of incredulity and highlights the astonishing nature of Israel's unbelief. Despite the abundance of miracles, divine provision, and explicit promises just recounted by Moses, Israel still chose not to trust.
- in this thing (הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה, hadavar hazzeh): "Ha-davar" means "the word" or "the thing/matter," and "hazzeh" means "this." This phrase points directly and specifically to the issue at hand: the command to go up and take the land, and the divine assurance that the LORD would fight for them and deliver the land into their hands. It wasn't general theological doubt but a lack of belief in a concrete, actionable promise from God that bore immediate implications for their future.
- you did not believe (לֹא הֶאֱמַנְתֶּם, lo' he'emantem): The verb "believe" comes from the Hebrew root אָמַן (aman), which means "to be firm, trustworthy, steady, true." In the Hiphil stem (as it is here, 'he'emantem'), it means "to consider reliable," "to trust," "to put faith in," or "to believe firmly." "Lo'" is the negation. Therefore, "you did not believe" means they failed to trust in, rely upon, or deem faithful the One who had proven Himself utterly trustworthy. It implies a deep distrust in God's character and capability, not merely an intellectual disagreement.
- the LORD your God (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, YHWH Eloheykhem): "YHWH" (often vocalized as Yahweh) is God's unique covenant name, revealing His personal, eternal, and unchanging nature. It signifies His self-existence and His faithfulness to His promises. "Eloheykhem" (your God) emphasizes the intimate, covenantal relationship God established with Israel. He was not just a god, but their God, who had redeemed them, guided them, and sustained them. Their unbelief was thus not a generalized skepticism, but a specific rejection of the trustworthiness of their personal covenant Lord, a profound breach of their relationship with Him.
- Words-group analysis:
- "Yet in this thing": This phrase emphasizes the audacity and perversity of Israel's unbelief. Despite a track record of miraculous deliverance and unfailing care—summarized by Moses in the preceding verses—at this crucial juncture where faith was required for entry into the Promised Land, they faltered. It underscores that their unbelief was not due to a lack of evidence or divine activity.
- "you did not believe the LORD your God": This highlights the relational and personal aspect of their failure. It wasn't simply a misjudgment or intellectual error; it was a deep distrust in the very character and promises of the God who had faithfully sustained and covenanted with them. Their refusal to believe was an act of unfaithfulness that made them guilty of rejecting His truthfulness and power.
Deuteronomy 1 32 Bonus section
- The root for "believe" (אָמַן, aman) is the same root from which "Amen" derives, signifying "so be it" or "it is firm/true." Israel failed to respond to God's firm truth with a corresponding firm belief.
- The Kadesh-Barnea incident, highlighted here, serves as a crucial theological touchstone throughout Scripture, notably in Hebrews 3 and 4, which warns New Covenant believers against falling into the same "pattern of disobedience" caused by unbelief. It teaches that despite experiencing God's miraculous presence and promises, spiritual apathy and a hardening of heart can prevent individuals from entering into God's promised "rest."
- Unbelief in this context is presented not merely as a lack of intellectual understanding but as an active rejection and failure to trust the living God who had proven His worthiness of trust. It speaks to the condition of the heart rather than merely the mind.
- This verse acts as a powerful polemic against any notion that Israel's inability to enter the land was due to the weakness of their God compared to the Amorite gods, or that God was capricious. Instead, it places the blame squarely on Israel's own distrust.
Deuteronomy 1 32 Commentary
Deuteronomy 1:32 stands as a severe indictment of Israel's pervasive lack of faith. Moses, recounting past failures to the new generation, emphasizes that despite overwhelming evidence of God's power and consistent faithfulness – from the miraculous Exodus to the daily provision in the wilderness, and God's explicit promise to fight their battles (Deut 1:29-31) – the people chose to distrust Him at the threshold of the Promised Land. This unbelief was not merely intellectual doubt, but a fundamental failure of trust in God's character and power, leading to direct disobedience. It betrayed their covenant relationship with the "LORD their God" (YHWH Eloheykhem), whom they had seen deliver time and again. This act of disbelieving His word and despising His power resulted in forty years of wilderness wandering and the forfeiture of the land for that generation. The verse underscores that God's covenant blessings are predicated on a believing response to His promises.